The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1887-03-30
For the River Press.
AN ILL-FATED SETTLEMENT
BY HENRY MACDONALD.

the nearest point on the Missouri river
which would be below the rapids anC
other distractions on the upper river. Th'
projectors, by examining map had Sc
lected for their point the Mouth of Mus
selshel. A more unfortunate selection
route was infested by hostile Indians, inn
passable for heavy teams, and seventy
miles of it was desert without grass ol
water. Several slight attempts were
made to go through, but nothing was ac
tualiy accomplished until the early part
of 1868. Most of the stock holders were
undoubtedly actuated by honest motives,
| but the directors must have been fully
aware of the rascally intentions of theil
| paper city. 1t was founded in fraud and
ended in massacre. The town itself was a
few struggling huts built on a miserable
sage brush bottom, overlooked on one side
by CHASTITY looking bad land bluffs, whose
gigantic, hideous ravines were sparseIy
covered by gnarled and stunted pines,
whose twisted limbs looked as if every
inch had been born in agony, and grown
in torture on another side, dirty, Shiny
alkali creek, fifty named Crooked creek,
poured its noisome slum into the Mussel-
shell. The Musselshell, at this point, was
in the spring torrent of bad land mud !;
in the summer an alkali quicksand. Along
its bank, struggled for existence, a few
melancholy looking cottonwoods, locking
like so many deadly Upas trees shedding
their baleful influence and whose wither-
ing air appeared to breed desolation. The
few stunted blades of grass that sickoned
through the bad land soil were yellow and
withered. The bloom of June brought no
beauty to this hideous place, nor did the
white pail Of winter give it majesty. Fit
scene and center for the most frightful
horrors andamasscaresi
Why the Indians should be so hostile in
this particular neighborhood has always
been a mystery to me. Had they been ca
pable Of philosophic reflection they would
have known that their most deadly malice
could not have been better gratiffed than
by the unmolested settlement there of
their most deadly enemies. About twen-
ty or thirty men, mostly hunters and wood
choppers, made this place their headquar-
ters, and as they made their money at the
risk of their lives, no one wished to leave
any Of it unspent, in case he should be
killed. Men living thus, without law or
social restraints, and with plenty of mon
ey would naturally be engaged in some
wild scenes, and have witnessed there,
orgies that would bring a complaeent
smile to the face of a leering fiend; but [
have also witnessed acts that would add a
brighter halo to the head Of an aureoled
saint! In the neighborhood and country
tributary TO it there have been more than
thirty different massacres, the recital of
which would be monotonous rehearsal
of disgusting atrocity-a task shall not
attempt, but will content myself with re-
lating few characteristic incidents.
In the spring of 1868, Mr.. Higgins, of
White Sulphur Springs, came down there
for some reason best known to himself,
with a fine train of mules. His mules and |
several horses that were owned by differ
ent parties were herded in point formed
BY the Musselshell and Missouri rivers.
The settlement was in a narrow neck be-
,ween these two rivers, and it was suppos-
I'd the stock was pretty safe, as in order to
get away with them they would have to
De run by the settlement, as it was impos-
ible to stampede them across the stream.
nr. Higgins and some men were guarding
he stock, however, when mounted
sioux party rushed in on them, killed two
nen, shot Mr.. Higgins in the arm, and
ook every hoof of stock. The whole thing
vas done like flash of light. At the
ell of the stampede men rushed out of !
heir cabins and tents and opened fire at
ne whooping Indians as they pursued the 7
rantic stock, but no Indian was killed. !
'ne young buck on magnificent horse, +
fter they had gotten the stock away, '
lrned back. and again ran through the d
ring crowd, making signs of derision as 1
g swept by on his flying horse. s
One foggy, misty day in the summer of ]
s68 the Sioux attacked the Crow camp a v
tort distance from Musselshell and got q
way with about eight hundred head of ii
orses. was in the Grow camp at the n
me, but it would occupy too much space II
describe the stampede of the horses n
e yells of the Sioux-she bitter impreca- al
ons Of the Crows-the mounting i'm hot En
t-tr nf tire Crow warriors for pursuit Ii
e harangues OF the old men-the loud y
Eating tom-toms-the rise and fall of the m
ar chant of the women-the varying 81
cse>s of tile battle AS fortune inclined q
le way and then the othtr-tIie extlltant q,
ngs of victory when some enemy fell st
e cutting of the hair and manning of "